There are plenty of reasons to be bullish on South Street west of Broad but a couple established businesses are on the way out. The Philly Cupcake location at 20th and South has closed after nine months. The cupcake shop proprietors had a disagreement with their landlords and according to Michael Klein, there were suits and countersuits. The original Philly Cupcake remains at 12th and Chestnut. We’re with Naked Philly in hoping the next tenant chooses a more subtle color palette.

Also closing, is 15th and South’s Baja Room. The odd Mexican joint has been a mainstay at that intersection but we never got understood the Best of New York sticker in the window or the claims that celebrities ate there. According to Naked Philly, Baja Room will resurface at 1001 East Passyunk.

The attractive and underused space at the southeast corner of 20th and South (it was a seldom open gallery) has a sign in the window that it will be opening as the second Philly Cupcake. The first location is at 1132 Chestnut Street and the team behind the cupcake shop has also opened Philly Chocolate at 1315 Walnut Street.

Over the weekend, we had a gigantic public tasting for this year’s Best of Philly issue. The challenge? Pick the best cupcake in Philadelphia. And our methods were simple: Set up the tables at King Of Prussia Mall, bring in the cupcakes and let the people just go NUTS.

Our five competitors (a list curated by Foobooz and Philadelphia magazine staff) were Whipped Bakeshop, Cups ‘n Cakes, Colonial Farms, Philly Cupcake and Brown Betty and our voter turn-out levels were high (with something like 90% of all people sampling casting an actual vote for their favorite), which leads me to believe that American Democracy might work a whole hell of a lot better if all elections were done in the form of cupcake taste-tests.

But anyway, the votes have all been counted. A clear winner has been chosen. And the people’s choice for Best Cupcake In Philly will be revealed come August when Best of Philly 2012 hits the stands.

Much like cheesesteakery, the cupcake business is more fraught with more drama than it really has any right to be. Aren’t sweets supposed to make everyone happy? The latest cupcake-related dirty laundry is aired on the Buttercream Cupcake Truck’sblog, where owner (and lawyer) Kate Carrara posts hostile emails, allegedly from Philly Cupcake, questioning the legality of her cupcake truck.

Inqlings has more on Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson’s (Mac and Sweet Dee on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) involvement in taking over Old City’s Skinner’s and recasting it as Mac’s Olde Towne Tavern. [Inqlings]

Avenida opened Thursday night on Germantown in Mt. Airy. It’ll be a Latin menu from Edgar and Kim Alvarez who met at Striped Bass. [Meal Ticket]

Looking to get into the GQ praisedBibou? Here’s another obstacle, owners Pierre and Charlotte Calmels will be closing for two weeks’ vacation starting January 17th. [Inqlings]

Parx Casino has opened in Bensalem with some new eating options. There’s a parxgrill, a steakhouse, 360 Bar, Foodie’s and coming in March, a new Chickie’s and Pete’s with Chickie’s videogame bar, Play2.

Maccabeam has become Glatt Delight. No other changes are noticeable. [Meal Ticket]

Eagle Village, formerly Spread Eagle Village has added two new eateries. A Taste of Britain has moved in from Devon and offers tea nd lunch. Early January will see the opening of Silverspoon, a farm to table BYOB for the Main Line. [Restaurant Club]

Franco Faggi is bolting from East Falls for City Avenue and the former O’Hara’s. He is aiming to open Franco’s Osteria, a wood-fired oven spot by late January. Faggi’s former spot, Franco’s Trattoria remains open under the control of the landlord. [The Insider]

The cupcakes keep coming. Philly Cupcake has opened at 12th and Chestnut. [Philly Chit Chat]